The step by step description of a worker performing a given task is :

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The correct answer is the **Process Chart**, often more specifically referred to in home management and industrial engineering as a Flow Process Chart—Worker Type. This tool is precisely designed for the detailed, step-by-step recording of an entire work process as performed by a specific individual. It is a fundamental technique in the field of work simplification and method study, providing a bird’s-eye view of a task from beginning to end. The chart systematically uses five standard symbols to categorize and describe every action: a circle for **Operation** (something is done), an arrow for **Transportation** (movement from one place to another), a square for **Inspection** (checking or verifying), a D-shaped symbol for **Delay** (waiting), and a triangle for **Storage** (keeping items). By documenting the sequence, distances moved, and time taken for each of these elements, the Process Chart allows for a rigorous analysis of the existing method. The ultimate goal is to identify and eliminate unnecessary steps, reduce long travel distances, combine operations, and streamline the entire process to save time, energy, and effort for the worker. Thus, the chart serves as the exhaustive narrative of the worker's performance of a given task.

The incorrect option is 2:

An **Operation Chart**, also known as a Right-Hand/Left-Hand Chart, is a much more minute and localized descriptive tool compared to a Process Chart. Instead of charting the worker's entire task sequence from one location to another, the Operation Chart focuses exclusively on the highly detailed movements of the worker’s two hands *at a single, specific workstation* or bench. This chart records the simultaneous movements of the left and right hands using symbols like *reach, grasp, move, hold, and release*. Its purpose is to analyze and improve the efficiency of a very short, repetitive, manual operation—it does not provide the broad, step-by-step description of an entire **given task** which may span multiple locations and involve major delays, inspections, or movements. Therefore, while descriptive, it is too specialized and microscopic to fit the general query.

The incorrect option is 3:

A **Pathway Chart**, often simply called a Flow Diagram or Lay-out Plan, is purely a spatial and graphical representation. It is a drawing of the work area, such as a kitchen or laundry room, on which the actual path taken by the worker (or the material being processed) is traced by a line. Its primary function is to analyze movement in terms of distance and retracing steps, visually revealing backtracking, excessive travel, and poor arrangement of equipment. While the Pathway Chart visualizes the movement component of the worker's task, it does **not** provide the step-by-step descriptive narrative of all the other elements like operation, inspection, or delay. It is a supplement to the Process Chart, not the descriptive chart itself.

The incorrect option is 4:

**Work Chart** is not a standard, formally defined tool with a specific set of symbols and recording methodology in the scientific study of work simplification or method study. In this context, the options presented refer to established techniques used to analyze work performance. While one might generically refer to any diagram related to work as a "work chart," it lacks the precise, technical meaning and comprehensive descriptive ability of the Process Chart, Operation Chart, or Pathway Chart. The question demands the specific name of the tool that provides the "step-by-step description," which is a hallmark of the Process Chart.